Combined closer and latch for gates, &amp;c.



No. 783,641. 7 PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905. P. M. MQKINNEY.

COMBINED CLOSER AND LATCH FOR GATES, 8w APPLIUATION FILED AUG. 8, 1904.

:lliiftt 783,641.

PLEASANTI.

@OWIHHWEIU 'LELUSTEH ANU Patented February 28, 1905.

M. MCKINNEY, OF.ABII1LENE, TEXAS.

LATCH-l Ftfll i GATES, 8L0" SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,641, dated l ebraary 28, 1905.

Application filed August 8, 1904. Serial No. 219.955.

To rt whom it new concern:

Be it known that l, PLEASA N'l M. MGKINN er, a citizen of the United States, residing at Abilene, in the county of lllaylor and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful ,l m provemeuts in a Combined Closer and Latch for Gates, Doors, and the Like; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it ap- 'pca-tains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in closing and fastening devices for doors. gates, windows. or other swinging closures,and more particularly to a combined gate-closing spring and latch.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive. durable, and efficient device of this character which will effectively close a gate, door, or the like and fasten the same in its closed position.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, col'nbinatiomand arrangement of j parts, will be more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

in the drawings forming part of this specilication, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a gate, showing the application of my invention thereto. Fig. 2 is a top plan view partly in section. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view.

.lieferring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes a swinging gate pivotall y mounted, as at 2. upon a post 3 and adapted to swingtovard and from a keepenpost 1-. Secured upon the hinge-post 2 OCPGTIUlCHlly to the pivot 3 is a latch-pivot 5, which preferably consists of a metal bar bent upon itself to form an elongated pivoted loop 6, a right-anguiarly extending arm 7, and a pointed screw-threaded end 8. Said end 8 is adapted to be screwed into the post 3, and the arm 7 is secured to said post by screws or similar fastening means 9, so that the loop 6 extends horizontally. Loosely engaged with the pivoted latch 6 is the hooked end 10 of a latch bar or rod 10, the other end of which is adapted to slide in a tubular guidecasing 11, secured upon the gate 1 adjacent to its outer or free end. The outer end of the latch-rod 10 is beveled, as at '12, to coact with a longitudinally-disposed keeper 13, secured upon the post t. Said keeper preferably consists of a metal plate bent to form a if-shaped portion, with which the beveled end of the latch coacts, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Surrounding the latch-rod 10 adjacent to its pivot is a coil-spring 14;, one end of which is secured, as at 15, upon the gate 1 and the other end of which is adjustably connected to the latch-rod. This adjustable connection is preferably effected by securing the said end of the spring in a bracket 16, having arms 1'7. which surround said latch-bar and are clamped upon it by a screw 19. Said s n'ing exerts its energy to project the latch-bar 10 when the gate is in its closed position and to close the gate when the latter is in its open position. In order to retract the gate-latch to disengage its beveled end from the keeper 13, .l pivot upon said gate, as shown at 19, a lever 20, the upper end of which slides in a guide 21. secured upon the upper bar of the gate. The extreme end of said lever is formed with a handle 22, and adjacent to said upper end is a laterallyprojecting stop 23, which is adapted to engage a stop 24:, adj ustably secured upon the latch-bar. As shown, said stop 23 comprises a pin secured upon a clamping-cot lar 2.5, which is slidably mounted on said rod and is adapted to be clamped at any desired point upon the same by a screw or the like. 26. It will be seen that when the lever 20 is swung in ardly stop 23 will engage the stop 24: upon the latch-bar and force the lat ter inwardly against the tension of its spring let, the hooked inner ends of the latch-bar sliding in the pivoted latch 6, as will be readily understood. in order to hold the latchbar in its retracted position, l form the same at a suitable point with a notch or recess 27, which when the latch-bar is retracted is adapted to aline with a slot 28, formed in the guidecasing, so that a pivoted gravity-catch 29 may be swung into said alining slot and recess to hold the latch-rod against movement. Said catch 29 is pivoted, as at 30, beneath the guide 11 and is adapted to be'swung upwardly in a vertical plane, the tension of the spring upon the rod and the rodagainst the catch being sufficient to hold the catch in the slot and recess, so that when the tension upon the rod is relieved by operating the lever 20 said catch will drop by gravity out of the said slot and recess to free the latch'rod 10.

The operation and advantages of my improved closing and fastening device .will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. It will be seen that owing to the eccentric pivotal connection of the latchrod and the connection of the spring with the gate and said rod the spring will not only tend to close the gate, but also operate the latch for fastening the gate. By providing the adjustable connections with a spring and the stop upon the latch-rod the parts may be adjusted to operate nicely upon gates of different sizes, and by making the keeper 13 of the length shown the beveled end of the latch will coact with the same after the gate has sagged by reason of rough or constant usage.

IVhile I have shown and described my invention as applied to a gate, it will be understood that the same may be used in connection with doors, screen-doors, swinging windows, or any other swinging closures. It will be further noted that the latch device may be omitted and simply the closing device used and that while I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise construction herein set forth.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a swinging gate or the like, of a longitudinally-movable latchrod carried by the gate and havinga pivot eccentric to that of the gate, and a spring coacting with said rod to close the gate and secure the same in a closed position, substantially as described.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a gate or the like, of a latch-rod having a loose pivot eccentric to the pivot of said gate, a guide for said latch-rod, a spring for connecting said rod and said gate, means for projecting said rod and closing said gate, anda lever for retracting said rod, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a gate or the like, of a latch-rod having a loose pivot eccentric to the pivot of said gate, a guide for said latch-rod, a spring for connecting said rod and said gate, means for projecting said rod and closing said gate, and means for holding said rod in its retracted position, substantially as described.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a gate or the like, of a latch-rod having a loose pivot eccentric to the pivot of the gate, a guide for said latch-rod, a spring for connecting said rod and said gate, means for projecting said rod and closing said gate, and a swinging catch for holding said rod in its retracted position against the tension of said spring.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of a post or frame, and a swinging gate, door, or the like pivotally mounted thereon, of a pivoted loop secured in said post and disposed eccentrically to the pivot of said gate, a latch-rod slidably and pivotally engaged with said pivoted loop, a guide-easing upon said gate for said latch-rod, a spring'having one end secured to said gate and the other endadjustably secured upon said rod, an adjustably-mounted stop upon said rod, and a lever pivoted upon said gate and adapted to engage and operate said stop, substantially as described.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a gate, a sliding spring-actuated latch, a stop adjustably mounted thereon, and a lever having a stop to coact with said adjustable stop, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit.-

nesses.

PLEASANT M. MOKINNEY.

itncsses:

E. U. KIRBY, H. L. BENTLEY. 

